East Africa Emergency Appeal

We are being overwhelmed with refugees from South Sudan…

These are the words of Archbishop Stanley Ntagali of the Church of Uganda. Today Uganda finds itself at the centre of a catastrophic refugee crisis where Bidibidi is now the largest refugee camp in the world. Over 16 million people throughout East Africa are in a critical life-threatening situation. Fields of Life partners are already on the ground responding in two districts.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, reports that over 1.8 million people have fled South Sudan to bordering countries. Just under 900,000 refugees have fled South Sudan into Uganda and over 270,000 are in Bidibidi camp alone. They are leaving behind deserted towns and villages, as conflict and famine continue to plague the world’s newest country. Thousands of refugees cross the border daily into Uganda. Fields of Life urgently needs your support as we seek to help in this desperate situation. Read about Simon’s harrowing experience, his ‘Good Samaritan’, and his miraculous escape to safety in Uganda.

“My name is Salah Iwi Hilary Simon, I am South Sudanese and a member of the Madi tribe living in Kerepi, Eastern Equatoria. Dinka attacked our village and tied me to a tree as they looted and burned my house, they took my five goats and killed some of my neighbours. I was rescued by friends and fled into the bush to hide. I was separated from my family so I walked for three days without food until I reached the Uganda border. The UNHCR transported me to Pagirinya Camp where I was registered and given some sorghum, cooking oil, beans, a blanket, a mat and told to build my own shelter with a plastic sheet. The rains have come and it’s cold, wet and miserable here but I’m now safe. With the rains comes malaria, which is on the rise, also because the Rei river is close to the camp.”

Fields of Life’s partners are already providing safe drinking water in Bidibidi for thousands of South Sudanese refugees and for the local host community around the camp. In Pagirinya, Adjumani and Lamwo camps our partner, the Diocese of Northern Uganda, is providing safe water, emergency supplies and trauma counselling for those who have lost everything. Help us to support our partners in this vital work. Fields of Life founder, Trevor Stevenson said, “The situation in the camps is desperate and we are doing everything we can to alleviate people’s suffering and sense of hopelessness. Lives are at risk and some camps are literally overflowing from the huge influx of people who have walked for days, with only what they can carry, to reach the safety of Uganda. Please pray and help us bring hope for a better future to these beleaguered people.”

These desperate people urgently need your help today to enable Fields of Life provide emergency life-saving supplies. Please pray for Simon and the hundreds of thousands of refugees and we would ask you humbly to give what you can afford, as soon as you can. Your gift could literally mean the difference between life and death.

To donate to the EAST AFRICA EMERGENCY APPEAL please…

• Text FOL to 50300 to donate €4
(100% of your donation goes to Fields of Life across most network operators. Some operators apply VAT which means that a minimum of €3.25 will go to Fields of Life.Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline: 076 680 5278.)
• Phone 087 8146910 to make a credit card donation
• Click the button below to donate online